


The Woods

by Hock_hug



Series: 52 Weeks of Hockey [34]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: But it's not here or now, Happy Ending, Homophobia, It's the distant past, M/M, Magical Realism, Or where, Zdeno deserves love, so does Tuukka, who knows when this is set
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 11:03:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21493249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hock_hug/pseuds/Hock_hug
Summary: When he was a child, Tuukka’s mother warned him to stay away from the forest.“It is dangerous, little one,” she said. “There is old magic there.”
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Patrice Bergeron/Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara/Tuukka Rask
Series: 52 Weeks of Hockey [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1122324
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	The Woods

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: there is homophobia in this piece, it's only in one part of it but it's kind of an important part. Please don't read if this will be triggering.

When he was a child, Tuukka’s mother warned him to stay away from the forest.

“It is dangerous, little one,” she said. “There is old magic there.”

Tuukka didn’t care much about danger, and magic made him curious, so every day when his mother sent him out to play he wandered closer and closer to the edge of the woods. His mother only caught him, and the day spent inside cleaning didn’t deter him at all. When he was seven his approached the edge of the woods and peered past the trees. He took a few steps past the edge before he heard a twig snap in front of him. He looked around and froze when he saw a bear staring back at him. Well, it wasn’t really a bear, more of a cub, small and young. Tuukka wanted nothing more than to walk forward and greet it, but he knew better. Bears were dangerous, too dangerous for him to ignore it, so he turned around and ran home. He still came back the next day, and when he met that dark brown gaze again, he waved before walking further in.

\---

When he got older, he left his house and everything he knew, but he never forgot about the forest. He began working as a blacksmith’s apprentice in a nearby town, an easy way to burn his temper off, and he grew as much as he could. Every once in a while, though, he’d wander further than he should, and he would pass the edge of the forest. Often enough, the bear would be there too. It seemed to grow as he did, though he could tell that it was some number of years older than him. Sometimes, Tuukka would bring it berries he had picked on his farm and he’d leave them by his feet before he’d walk away. Sometimes, he’d stop a few feet away, sit down, and start talking. He’d talk about his day, his job, his few friends and his temper. At this point, the bear knew more about him than his parents did. He had long since grown out of his fear of the bear. If it was going to kill him, it could’ve already, and if it tried to now, he probably deserved it. 

When he wasn’t in the forest, he was in town, doing work or spending time with his friends. Brad and Patrice were delightful to be around. Brad was small and somewhat annoying but it was more endearing than anything. He got excited about small things, showing them the mice that he’d find in the fields and telling them wild stories. Patrice was more reserved, but just as kind-hearted. He had a talent for singing, and when it was raining out and there was nothing to do, Brad would grab his guitar and Patrice would sing them a shanty or a song about lands far away. Tuukka was grateful for them, but he also knew he was the odd man out. It was more than obvious that Patrice and Brad were in love with each other, which wasn’t a problem with Tuukka who was questioning his sexuality himself, but being on the outskirts of their relationship wasn’t always pleasant. Some days, he was filled with such a deep, almost painful loneliness that he couldn’t quench, and those were the days he spent in the forest from sunrise to sundown.

\---

It wasn’t often that his parents would bid him to come home, but when they did he always came. It was mostly for the holidays, but every so often his mother would send a letter stating that she missed his face, and he’d always leave before dawn the next day. He loved his parents, and they loved him. Well, they loved the version of him that they remembered. He had grown since he was a boy, both physically and as a person, and he was slowly but surely growing into himself. Every time his father asked him when he was going to bring a nice young woman home to meet them, he had to hold back a flinch. He knew what was expected of him, and he knew that he could never live up to those expectations. Some may consider him cruel, but he would never trap someone in a loveless marriage, he simply couldn’t. So, he brushed off the questions and prayed fruitlessly that they’d drop it. Eventually, it became too much for him, as everything must at some point.

“Surely you must’ve met someone by now,” his father had said, just toeing the line of condescending. He hadn’t met anybody, and he said as much. He felt his temper flare at his father’s disapproving scoff, and it burned as his mother laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“It’s just a matter of time, darling. You will find someone.”

“When I find him, you’ll be the first to know.”

Shit.

The air around him went still as his mother slowly drew her hand from his shoulder and his father stood up. 

“What the hell did you just say?” There was a quiet danger in his father’s words, but Tuukka never really feared danger.

“I said, when I find him, you’ll be the first to know.”

Everything that happened after seemed to be a blur. His father struck him across the face and his mother yelled, and he found himself and his belongings being thrown out the door. When he finally gathered his bearings, Tuukka was numb, or as numb as he could be with the pain blossoming across his cheek. It was cold, and the wind whipped at him as he stared at the place he once called home. His picked up his things and began walking, and before he knew it, he was at the foot of the forest. His bear wasn’t there for once, and that was the last straw. He began to sob, nearly collapsing. He stumbled past the trees, tripping and wiping his face on his sleeves. His heart was breaking, and the pain became overwhelming. There was nothing left for him. His only friends loved each other more than they could ever care about him, and his parents cast him out. He had nothing, he had no one, and he was utterly alone. When the sun was completely out of sight, he set his things down and laid next to them. His tears began to dry and the cold began to seep into his bones. It wasn’t safe to be outside without a coat in this season, but there was nowhere else he could go. He could see his breath in the air above him, and the sight of it and the sounds of the forest around him lulled him into a deep sleep.

\---

He wasn’t entirely expecting to wake up again, but he was more surprised about waking up warm, and in a bed. He sat up slowly, aware of a headache slowly building behind his eyes, and got out of bed. There was a hallway outside of the room, and his followed it to what appeared to be a kitchen. He glanced around and through a window he saw that he was somewhere in the forest, but not a place he had ever been.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

Tuukka startled at the sound of the voice and turned to find a rather large (and strangely familiar) man standing by the stove in the kitchen. Before he could speak, the man handed him a cup with something warm in it. He sipped at it and was pleased to find that it was some kind of tea. 

“Thank you.” He couldn’t tell if he was thanking the man for the tea, or something else. This man had to have carried him to his cabin, there was no other way he could’ve gotten here. He was imposing because of a foolish decision he had made borne of irrational emotions, and he was suddenly filled with shame. The flush on his cheeks must’ve been telling because the man offered him a soft smile.

“You have nothing to worry about. Here, sit down. I’ll start on breakfast while you drink that.” The man’s voice was soothing, gravelly with some sort of accent. Tuukka sat in a chair beside the kitchen table, and took another sip of his tea. He watched the man being working on breakfast in silence. He was very tall, with long limbs that showed obvious strength, yet he was very graceful as he cracked eggs in a pan over the stove.

“What is your name?” Tuukka asked, curiosity banishing whatever filter he might have.

“Zdeno.”

“Zdeno.” Tuukka practiced saying it, the word rolling off his tongue. “My name is Tuukka.”

The man simply nodded once in response and the comfortable silence washed over them once again. Zdeno spread what looked like fresh jam over a few pieces of bread a threw a few strips of bacon on a griddle. By the time breakfast was done, Tuukka was nearly salviating. Zdeno set a plate in front of him before taking the seat next to him and they both dug in. Tuukka couldn’t help the happy sounds he made as he ate; the food was delicious. Zdeno didn’t seem to mind at all. He picked his last piece of toast and was mid-bite when he looked up and made eye contact with Zdeno and oh my god he knew those eyes, he’d know them anywhere. The toast slipped from his hand and hit the plate as he struggled to breath. 

“Are you the bear?” It seemed impossible, but Tuukka knew there was magic hidden deep in the woods, something his mother told him time and time again when she warned him to stay away. Zdeno must at least know of the magic, living as deep in the forest as he did. Maybe he was magic.

“I am. You’ve been coming into my forest for a long time, Tuukka, though I am surprised you ever came this far. When I found you lying on the ground, I was worried that you had gotten lost looking for me, but you had your bags with you, and I knew something must’ve happened. I couldn’t just leave you there.” Zdeno maintained eye contact while explaining himself, so Tuukka saw his eyes grow sad when he described finding him. It wasn’t hard for Tuukka to explain everything that had happened; he already told Zdeno everything about him when he was a bear. Zdeno reacted with anger and concern, and it was gratifying to know that someone cared about him enough to be worried about his well-being. Once he was done with his story, Tuukka was drained. Zdeno seemed to notice this and rested a large, warm hand on his shoulder. 

“You are welcome to stay here as long as you want to, Tuukka. I’d rather you be here and happy than back where you were.”

Tuukka knew he wanted to stay as soon as Zdeno spoke, but he also knew that he’d never want to leave which would cause plenty of problems with his life back in town, and he voiced as much to Zdeno. Zdeno smiled at him, soft and warm, and it filled Tuukka with a sense of peace.

“Go back today and stay a night. If you still want to be here, meet me where I always see you tomorrow morning and I will bring you back here. If you think better of it, stay at home. I will understand if you change your mind, just don’t forget me if you do.” Tuukka scoffed.

“I could never forget you.” Zdeno grinned at him, sharp and crooked and perfect.

Zdeno lead Tuukka to the edge of the forest not too long after that. Tuukka made his way back to the town, back to his tiny house, and sprawled out on his bed. There was no way he’d stay here. He’d find Brad and Patrice some time today and tell them that he was leaving. His apprenticeship had ended not too long ago, so he didn’t need to worry about that. The only thing left to do was pack all of his belongings.

\---

He didn’t tell his friends the whole truth, just that he was leaving to find a new and better life. They took it pretty well, though both were obviously sad to lose him. Tuukka felt a pang of guilt at that, but it was washed away by his anticipation. He couldn’t wait to get back to where Zdeno was waiting for him. Brad and Patrice didn’t seem to mind when he left early, so he couldn’t bring himself to feel too bad for leaving them behind. He went back to his house and packed every belonging he had in two bags, anticipation thrumming through his body. In a matter of hours, he’d be with Zdeno, possibly (hopefully) forever. It seemed like it was decades in the making, even though they had only met human-to-human a day ago. Before he drifted off that night, he let his mind wander to the first time he had met Zdeno, his bear, in those woods. He was never scared of him, though he knew he was dangerous. He felt safe.

\---

Tuukka woke before dawn broke and grabbed his bags, making his way through his home for the last time. His home would be with Zdeno, by his side, from then on out, and he was utterly delighted by the idea of it. When he approached the forest, the sunlight was barely seeping over the horizon, yet Zdeno was where he promised he’d be. Tuukka didn’t say a word as he followed him back to his- to their home, afraid to break the spell that the forest and the dawn had cast on them. When they made it to Zdeno’s cottage, Tuukka almost wept with joy. He entered before Zdeno did, slipping his shoes off and setting them by the door. He hauled his bags to the room he had woken in barely a day ago, but he wasn’t sure what to do with them. It didn’t feel right to leave them there, it felt wrong to have his stuff there. Before he could question it, Zdeno cleared his throat from the doorway behind him.

“You do not need to stay in the guest room, if you do not wish to.” There was a softness etched into his face that Tuukka wanted to memorize. “You are not a guest here. This is your home now.” 

Tuukka knew as much, but it was pleasant to be reminded of it. He knew that Zdeno was sharing his home with him, but he hadn’t assumed that Zdeno would be sharing his bed as well, though he was not displeased by it. Zdeno was not the most beautiful man he had ever seen, yet he was the most lovely man he had ever met. He didn’t love him, not yet, but it would not be hard to.

They moved his bags into Zdeno’s room together. It was larger than the guest room, and the bed was larger than the one Tuukka had slept on. There was a bath connected to the room, shielded by a curtain that was currently open. The room felt comfortable and warm; the sheets were soft as Tuukka fell against them.

“I don’t think I’ll ever want to leave,” Tuukka said, the truth easily rolling off his tongue. “This is lovely.”

“Then stay,” he said simply. “My home can be yours as long as you want it. It is lonely here, and I often find myself craving your company.” Zdeno flushed as he spoke, and Tuukka moved to soothe him, wrapping his arms around his larger frame. Zdeno returned the embrace before continuing.. “I looked forward to seeing you every day we met. You were the only one brave enough to come to the woods, and I was never lonely in your company.”

Tuukka himself flushed at that with a great surge of happiness. He himself prefered Zdeno’s company over anyone else’s. Nobody knew him as Zdeno did. Nobody knew his secrets, nobody knew his truths, nobody knew his heart like Zdeno did. 

“Then I’ll stay. You’ll never be lonely again,” Tuukka vowed. “I will remain by your side until I can no longer stand, and even then I will crawl to you. I belong here, and I belong with you. I can feel it.”

Zdeno hummed in response, tightening his hold around Tuukka for a moment before releasing him. Suddenly, Tuukka was hit with a wave of exhaustion, as his anticipation was soothed and his lack of sleep caught up with him. It was easy to crawl under the sheets of their bed and beckon Zdeno to join him. There they rested together, and there they would rest together until the end of their days.

Outside the cabin, the birds sang and the trees danced in the wind as the forest rejoiced, happy to finally welcome Tuukka home.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time in a long time that I've had the motivation to write a fic longer than 1,000 words. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
